Carbonator.



H. KRUECKE. CARBONATOR.

/ 19%3269%D APPLICATION men APR. 5,191.5. Patented July 10, 191?.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

HERMAN KRUECKE, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CABBONATOR.

Leaaeet.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 11(1), 191?.

Application filed April 5, 1915. Serial No. 19,114.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that"l[, HERMAN KRUECKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carbonatorsyof which the following is a description, refer ence being had'to the accompanying drawings, whichare a part of this specification. This invention relates to apparatus for carbonating liquids to be used as beverages, such as soda water and the like, and has for its object to provide for the automatic supply of liquid and carbonic acid gas to the apparatus for replenishing the supply of carbonated liquid to a predetermined amount as the carbonated liquid is drawn 05 for use, the water or other liquid and the carbonic acid gas being admitted to the apparatus in such a manner as to insure the water becoming thoroughly'charged so as to be available for use at once;

Another object of the invention is to perfeet details of construction in a carbonator of this character, as will later more fully appear.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in thecarbonator as herein claimed,and all equivalents.

Referring-to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in the different views:

Figure I is a central sectional elevation of a carbonator constructed in accordance with this invention, the water valve being open;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof on the plane, of line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the water valve in its open position; and,

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the water valve in its closed position.

In these drawings, 10 indicates a disk-like base having a gasketed annular groove in which is fitted a cylindrical casing 11, there being a top 12, similar in construction to the base 10, fitting on the upper end of the casing, the base and top being clamped against therewith is a valve casing 18 the ends of the casing by means of bolts 13. A water supply pipe 14 from the city water mains or other supplyunder pressure, containing a suitable filter 15 and a pressure reducing valve 16 and a pressure gage 17 connects with the center of the base 10, and directly thereabove and communicating threaded into the top of the base and containing a restricted passageway through which slidably fits a tubular valve rod 19 with a nozzle 20 on its upper end having a single small opening to allow the water to issue therefrom in a fine jet directed vertically. A float 21 is adjustably secured on the valve rod 19 near its upper end and serves to lift said valve rod when the liquid within the casing has reached a predetermined level. The lower end 22 of the valve rod is closed and is preferably pointed to avoid unnecessary resist ance to the flow of water, and a short distance from the lower end the valve rod has a series of small openings 23 which in the lower position of the rod, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are exposed beneath the reduced portion of the passageway through the valve casing 18 to permit the flow of water therethrough into the interior of the valve rod and then out through the nozzle 20. The upper end of the valve. casing 18 is recessed to form a packing gland with a curved bottom, and a gasket 24 of leather or other suitable material is seated on this curved bottom of the packing gland with a similarly curved metal washer 25 seated thereon and held pressed tightly thereagainst by means of a screw plug 26 which is threaded in the recess and has an internal diameter sufficiently larger than the valve rod to form a surrounding chamber within which travels an annular flange 27 of the Valve rod to limit the movements of the valve rod by engaging the washer 25 and the inwardly extending flange 28 at the upper end of the screw plug 26, the latter position of the parts being shown in Fig. a. As long as the openings 23 of the valve rod are beneath the restricted portion of the passageway through the valve. casing water will flow therethrough with force, but upon the lifting of the valve rod by the action of the float 21, so as to carry the openings 23 beyond the leather gasket 24, the supply of water is shut off and will remain so until the water level Within the casingll is re duced by drawing carbonated water therefrom through a supply pipe 29 which passes through the top plate 12 of the casing.

Carbonic acid gas under pressure from a storage tank or other source is admitted to the casing through a pipe 30 which is threaded in the base and communicates with a coupling 31 threaded into the top of the bonated water 1 is drawn from the casing v vthrough the pipe 29 not only is the water .10

level-within the casing lowered so as to admit a corresponding amount of water from the water supply, but on account of a re-.

' duction in pressure within the casing a supply of carbonic acid gas will be admitted at the bottom of the casing and will rise in very small bubbles distributed throughout the body .of water in the casing so as to thoroughly carbonate the water if it has notbeen fully carbonated on its admission to the casing. Above the level of the'water the casing contains carbonic acid gasso that v the fine jet of Water issuing from the nozzle 20 and striking against a disk which is supported near the top of the casing directly above the valve rod 19 is broken into a fine spray to facilitate the absorption of the gas by the water. To further assist in exposing the greatest possible area'of water surface to the carbonic acid gas, a basket 36 is suspended by wires 37 from the disk 35, though not interfering with the jet of water from the nozzle 20 because of a central, tubular wall 38 through-which the jet- I passes, and this basket is filled with broken glass 39, or other insoluble, granular or crushed material to receive the water as it drops from the spray, and as said basket is provided with-a perforated bottom the water drops therefrom through the volume of gas above the liquid level. The extensive area of water surface in covering the particles of glass in the basket 39 and in dripping through the space beneath the basket assures an intimate exposure of all'particles-of' the Water to the gas to facilitate the gas" absorption and effectively carbonate the water. i

The tubular stem 40 of the disk 35, by

.means of which it is secured to the top plate 12, has openings 41 'above the disk 35' through which gasmay pass mto a coupling 42 threaded into the top plate 12 and containing'a pressure gage '43 and a safety valve 44. This allows of an escape of compressed" gas if the pressure within the casing, as shown by the gage 43, becomes excessive.

By means of this invention a quantity of carbonated water or, other liquid predet'ermined by the adjustment of -the float 21 and the valve rod 19 is maintained ready "for use, and as soon as a demand "is made.

thereon by drawing off the carbonated liquid through the pipe 29 .the lowering of the float v 21 admits a fresh supply ofwater equal to the amount drawn off, and at the same time the reduction in pressure within thexcasing permits of an inflow of carbonic acid gas through the body of water in the casing, this replenishing supply of water and gas con tinuing until normal conditions as to liquid level and pressure are restored," when the back pressure checks a further inflow of gas and the upward movement of the float lifts the valve rod 19 so as to carry the openings 23 above the gasket 24, thus shutting off the inflow of water. The water which has ,been admittedhas been efiectively carbonated by being sprayed through the carbonic acid gas in the upper part of the casing and by being sprayed over the surface of the broken glass in the basket36 and by dripping therefrom, but if the water has not abs sorbed as much gas as it is capable of doing it .will have a further opportunityto become fully charged by the passage of the numerous small bubbles of gas rising thereth'rough from the tubes 33 before it is finally drawn ofi from the bottom of'the-casing through the pipe 29.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Q Ina device for commingling gas and 1101- uid, a main casing, a liquid supply connec- I tion leading thereto, a valve casing com municating with the liquid supply connection and having a contracted passageway, a tubular valve rod slidably fitting within the contracted passageway, said rod being closed at its lower end and being provided near its said end with a. plurality of iiilet openings, a nozzle at the upper end of the valve rod, and a float carried by the rod,

In testlmony whereof, I aflix m'y signa- I ture, in presence of a witness.

Witness:

f KATHERINEIHOLT.

\HERMAN'KRUEO'KE. 

